She Would Dream of Paper Cranes
by Extraordinarily Ordinary Girl
Summary: After Ayano died, Shintaro could only remember her through pieces. Except in the dreams that plagued him. Rather short one-shot, could be Shintaro x Ayano, death aside.


**AN: This is a rather short one-shot, but I feel I managed to express was I was trying to put out there effectively. I love Ayano so much, I'm surprised this is the first story I've written based around her. It's not really a Shintaro x Ayano, since you know, she's dead and all. But I like to believe it's the thought that counts. Thank you for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own KagePro, be that the anime, manga, or Vocaloid series.**

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><p>I remember her in pieces, through scattered memories and obscure quotes. At times I could only recall one part of her at a time; an unwavering smile, soft brown hair, or a red scarf streaking across the blank sky.<p>

I dreamt about her often, probably more than I was willing to admit. But there was one, constantly recurring.

Ayano would be standing on the ledge of the rooftop, wind twirling her hair in every direction and skirt swaying with the breeze. I'd find her up there, staring out at nothing atop the school building. I'd rush to grab her, stumbling over my own footsteps and arm outstretched, in hopes that she wouldn't fall. But when I got too close, metal wiring snaked its way through the pavement, twisting into thousands of rusty knots, until finally a looming fence stood between us.

Every time I would shake the barrier, scream at her in hopes she would hear me. The least she could do was glance back. She never even turned her head. And time after wretched, repetitive, excruciating time, she would jump. Her soul would curl into itself and take shelter inside the empty depression that had been eating away at her heart for too many eternities to count.

Of course, I never really knew what had caused her to cut her own lifeline. The smile splattered across her face was painted on too thick. Then again, I couldn't recall ever trying to pry the mask off.

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><p>"Master" Ene enunciated. I sat up groggily, blinking away the sheen of drowsiness covering my vision. "You fell asleep at the computer again."<p>

I yawned and leaned back against the creaking desk chair. The virtual girl was sprawled over a desktop pin with a hand placed on her forehead. "I'm bored, let's go somewhere today" she drawled out, spinning circles with her finger.

"Too hot, no human should be out in this temperature" I argued with a shake of my head. She drifted closer to the screen, peering at me with a suddenly straight face. "What?"

"You look tired. You've got bags under your eyes. You should probably get some proper sleep today. You've been pulling too many all-nighters" she chastised with a small tilt of her head.

"I… Can't sleep" I muttered, standing up to go take a shower. As I stepped away from the desktop, my phone, still present inside my pocket, buzzed. I pulled it out and an agitated Ene pressed her face even closer to the screen.

"Don't just walk away in the middle of a conversation!" She angrily puffed out her cheeks, then straightening her clothes, took on a softer tone. "If it's Ayano again, blaming yourself or lingering on regrets isn't going to get you anywhere. In times like these it's best to forgive yourself and move on, because at this point there's nothing else to be said."

I fought back the urge to retort "what would an electronic virus know?" Instead, I replied, "Thanks for the advice, but I can handle this on my own."

"Maste-" I shut off the phone before she could finish and tossed it on my bed.

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><p><em>I glanced over at the desk next to mine. There she was, completely concentrated on her task of folding yet another test into an origami crane.<em>

_ "Don't your parents want to see your test scores before you distort the paper?" I asked monotonously._

_ She looked over and shrugged with a small smile. "Nah, my dad's not really strict about these types of things."_

I see_, I mentally commented, taking notice of her D-, the second this month. Sometimes I wondered if this girl really didn't hold a care in the world about her future. Then again, who was I to talk? I didn't have a clue as to what I'd be doing after graduation. University, sure, but from then on I drew a complete blank. Nothing in this world really interested me. Education itself was already quite bland in my eyes._

_ "Sometimes, when I get frustrated, I take these paper birds and throw them off the top of the building" Ayano said, leaning closer to my desk._

_ "What good does that do?" I questioned. Sometimes I wondered if every aspect of her life was illogical. _

_ She shrugged and readjusted the red clips in her hair. "It's just… Nice. Bad grades turn into birds that can simply fly away. When they drift off with the wind, I almost start to envy them." She chuckled. "It's silly of me, isn't it? To want to be a paper crane? I know they'll land eventually. But even for a little while, I think it'd be wonderful to taste the breeze as I flew away."_

_ Ayano blushed slightly, and I blinked back. "Unrealistic, yes. But I suppose it's only human nature to dream" I replied, leaning my head against my palm._

_ "Do you have any dreams, Shintaro?" She asked, physically pushing her desk closer this time. Her gaze was gentle, yet unwavering. Her presence was the most comforting thing I could remember experiencing. I probably should have told her that while I still had the chance. There were a lot of things I should have told her. Too many confessions she would never hear. _

_ I looked ahead at the script-less blackboard ahead. "No, I don't."_

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><p>That night brought forth the same dream as usual. She was standing alone on the ledge, preparing to fall. This time, though, I noted some changes. The sky was no longer a stark white, rather vibrant blue with puffs of clouds.<p>

As I ran across the rooftop in desperation, Ayano remained standing in silence. Once I was in close proximity, the fence sprouted up like silver, clanging vines. I reached out and hooked my fingers in between wires and caught my breath.

"Ayano!" I yelled. "I'm sorry you had to suffer for so long. I'm sorry I didn't notice until it was too late. You won't believe how often I've replayed your smiles, reassuring words and confident stances in my head. I wish you wouldn't die…"

I paused, gripping the fence tighter and causing my knuckles to turn white. "But I now realize that it was your choice, and I can't stop you from living your own life, or killing your own dreams." I felt the metal begin to dissipate beneath my fingers, and the metal dust swirled around us, slowly dispersing into the atmosphere. When the sky cleared, she had turned around. There were tears in the corners of her eyes as she grasped the muffler around her neck.

"I should have told you how greatly you impacted my life. How much you're needed here, alive. But we can't change the past, can we?" Ayano shook her head as a tear slipped down her cheek. "I love you, and I'm sorry it took so long for me to realize that. I've held it all back for too long. The least I can do is set you free."

Ayano began to unwind the red fabric from her around her neck, and reaching over, she placed it over my shoulders. She pulled me closer with the scarf, and leaning in she whispered, "Thank you."

The former student took a few steps back until she was against the ledge again. Smiling, she didn't jump this time. As the breeze picked up, her uniform shirt flew up slightly, revealing a torso of paper. Her skin began break apart into origami, separating and scattering into the sky. Pieces of Ayano stood out against the bright blue behind where she used to stand.

Millions of paper cranes drifted out, away from the ledge and out towards the horizon. I closed my eyes and held onto Ayano's red muffler as her spirit finally took flight. I hoped that she tasted the wind.

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><p><strong>AN: What'd you think? Go ahead and let me know down in the review box, ne?<strong>


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